On Their Side
by Gumnut
Summary: She trusted these boys with a great deal.


Title: On Their Side

Author: Gumnut

28 Jun 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: She trusted these boys with a great deal.

Word count: 1119

Spoilers & warnings: None.

Timeline: Standalone

Author's note: This is for lightning1999 who prompted me a day or so ago with this post - post/185865445207/corcle-time-wheres-that-post-about-having-mundane I don't know whether this fic delivers, but I wrote it between two and five am so my brain isn't the greatest. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

It had been one of those days. Val Casey found herself standing beside her flyer staring at slowly heating tarmac and while she slowly lost her cool.

She did not know what the problem was. She did not care what the problem was. She only knew that she was supposed to be in California yesterday. Literally. Instead, she was stuck in an airfield in the backend of nowhere Australia because of something or other that had three fully qualified mechanics spitting profanities at each other.

And the damned sun was getting hotter.

Her assistant had stopped buzzing around her and Val suspected the frown between her eyebrows was competing with the Grand Canyon in depth.

It had its uses.

She could have been onboard shuffling paperwork, but apparently the fault carried a fire hazard.

She really needed to call in another flight. This was getting ridiculous and she was damned tired.

So tired she was seeing things.

A blink at the horizon and, no, perhaps she wasn't.

An aircraft was approaching from the east.

Fast.

Very fast.

Another blink and she recognised the familiar outline of Thunderbird Two.

As always the sight of one of those 'birds brought a flush of relief. She could feel the tension lifting from her shoulders.

She was not afraid to admit, that yes, her godsons appeared like angels of mercy and she would always be grateful for their assistance. Despite herself, she let a small smile appear on her face.

Her comms buzzed into life. "Hey, Aunt Val, heard you were a little stuck."

The smile turned into a smirk and she had to cover it with her hand. "Gordon, what are you doing all the way out here?" The huge green Thunderbird was angling in for a landing, her VTOL kicking up Outback dust between one breath and the next. A clunk of landing gear on baked red soil and she settled, engines winding down.

It had been less than a minute between sighting her on the horizon and her forward hatch delivering her two pilots onto the tarmac beside her. International Rescue moved very, very fast.

Gordon, of course, bounded up to her a grin on his face. "Need a little roadside assistance?"

Virgil walked up behind his brother, his pace far more sedate and his expression ever so tolerant of his brother. "John said you might need a hand?"

"I didn't think International Rescue was in the breakdown business."

Gordon elbowed his brother in the ribs. "International Breakdown, we have a situation."

The pilot sighed. "I must apologise for him, Aunt Val, he's been into the sports drinks again."

"I thought Scott banned him from them after the last incident."

"Yeah, well, he's been at an aquanauts symposium in Brisbane for the last two days. I'm surprised he's not comatose." A shift of his feet. "We were in the area and John could hear your crew cursing from orbit. Thought you might need a lift?"

She eyed him a moment. Val was ever suspect about the capabilities of the Thunderbird floating far above them. John had skill and she had the suspicion that if the Tracys ever crossed to the dark side, the world would be in some serious excrement. She turned a blind eye. She blurred the details in her reports. She trusted these boys with a great deal.

Because the world needed them.

"That is very thoughtful of you."

A member of her crew hurried past holding an engine part. Virgil's eyes followed it. "Uh, Aunt Val, you mind if I have a quick look at the problem?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Be my guest."

He shot her a small smile and strode up to the huddle of crew hovering beside their port-side engine. A nod in their direction and he looked upwards. To her astonishment, Virgil pulled out one of IR's grapple packs and shot it at the wing.

Val took a step forward, but was halted by a hand on her arm. Almost whispered. "Give him a minute, Aunt Val. He's been swearing too."

A glance at Gordon and she realised he knew more than he was letting on.

Virgil swung himself onto the port wing of her flyer and, striding purposefully towards the engine, located a hatch and buried his head in it.

Ten seconds later, the crew on the ground was ducking as Virgil threw random bits of feathered skykill at their heads. It rained unfortunate down for a moment, then shredded plastic, followed by...leaves?

Gordon was grinning ear to ear.

A full minute of trash rain and Virgil slammed the hatch shut. He swung himself down from the wing and approached the outraged crew. "You might want to try her now."

And Virgil was striding back towards Val and his brother, his face just that touch stormy.

"That was so obvious, it hurt." It was muttered, but she heard him.

A second later and the engine behind him was firing in tandem with its partner. Her assistant rushed over. "Colonel, we're ready to depart."

Val felt the blood rise to her face, but she controlled it and turned to Virgil. "Is that offer of a lift still open?"

"Certainly, love to have you aboard." There was something in his eyes and she realised that he had no intention of letting her anywhere near that plane.

She turned to her assistant. "I want maintenance out here immediately. Alternative transport for the crew and an investigation as to how this occurred. No one flies that plane until it has been deemed safe."

"Yes, sir."

"And find out who cleared it in the first place."

"Yes, sir." The man scampered away.

"Oh-ho, Virg, you're gonna get someone fired."

"Shut up, Gordon."

"You should have heard him on the way over, Aunt Val. I didn't know he knew that many swear words."

Virgil glared at him and turned away, stalking off to his Thunderbird.

A breath exhaled and Val followed him. Gordon scampered beside her, far too awake for her comfort.

"Are you trying to tell me that Virgil diagnosed the problem from Brisbane?"

"Well, yeah. John overheard your crew talking to base and gave Virgil a rundown. He dragged me out of a meeting. Said something about you being in danger from idiocy."

She stared at the tense shoulders of Virgil's uniform as he disappeared into the shadow under Thunderbird Two.

'Overheard' again taunted her with the power of John's possible dark side, but it was the second eldest brother who kept her attention. As she stepped onto the green hatchway, she had to admit that if any of the Tracy brothers went dark-side, she might have to consider joining them.

-o-o-o-


End file.
